A new ad campaign is pushing Australians to use less petrol. Has this happened before? |
A new federal government advertising campaign is prompting Australians to reduce their fuel consumption during the current global oil crisis.
It asks Australians to consider using their car less and offers tips to boost fuel efficiency, such as “driving smoothly” and “unloading excess weight”.
It comes soon after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s whirlwind trip to Singapore, which makes up more than a quarter of Australia’s refined fuel imports, including more than half of our petrol, 22% of jet fuel and 15% of diesel.
However, the launch of the campaign shows the government is concerned to some degree about fuel supplies in Australia.
So, why is this happening, are there historic precedents in Australia and what are other countries doing at the moment?
Why the concerns about fuel supply?
The campaign comes two weeks after national cabinet endorsed a four-stage National Fuel Security Plan – which mentions rationing as a final step – as global fuel supplies continue to fluctuate due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key factor – it was tentatively re-opened after the two-week ceasefire was agreed to last week. Since then, Iran has blocked ships from passing through the strait after Israel launched a wave of strikes in Lebanon. Then on Monday, US President Donald Trump threatened to block it via the US Navy.
Even before the ceasefire, the Australian government said it had secured supplies into May and that rationing would not be needed.
But it may be necessary if there’s no lasting peace in the Middle East.
How Asian countries are responding
Asian economies are particularly dependent on oil........